At a press event in London today Amazon announced that their Echo devices will launch this month in the UK and October for Germany. The voice-controlled speaker is available to pre-order now and will cost £150/€180, although for today and tomorrow only Amazon Prime users will get £50/ €50 off if they order one.

The Echo is a cylindrical speaker with seven built-in microphones used to communicate to the voice assistant Alexa. By using the built-in Wi-Fi and 360-degree speaker the Echo can be used to check traffic reports, play music, order takeout and even make Chuck Norris jokes. The UK version of the device comes with a different voice tailored for the British market, it also understands local dialect and accents.

Amazon also introduced a newer version of the Echo Dot. Similar to the original Echo but without the high-quality speaker, instead it can be connected to other speakers via Bluetooth or 3.5mm jack. The new version comes with a faster processor to improve the voice recognition at a distance. The Amazon Echo Dot will cost £50/ $50/ €60.

Both devices will also be in a new white variant that they announced today, the new colour will be available in the US store soon as well.

Amazon Echo will be release on 28 September in UK and October 26 in Germany.

Amazon Dot will release on 20 October in UK and 26 October in Germany.